In Union there is strength

This week with secret meetings some designed to divide some designed to unite I got to go the the uniting one.

Southern Gold Coasters are starting a new group to fight the proposed Cruise Terminal development at Kirra (watch this space for the name) but with some pretty handy characters.

Some of which are no stranger to fighting for Kirra, and who actually understand impacts on surf beaches.

These guys may be in the category of non Cruise Ship CEO's so apparently they don't matter however when it comes to refractoring swells and cyclones their knowledge does actually matter.

Surfers spend years informally studying conditions and watching how the movement of sand and wind effect their breaks. They know stuff - hence when Mick Fanning was viciously attacked for expressing the obvious our facebook page lit up.

Interestingly since the meeting was at Coolangatta and there was a swell running I had the chance to personally thank Mick Fanning.Now I knew it was Mick because this board flew off the top of the wave and warped back down again kind of like a tradesman knocking in a nail - and I thought - that bloke pushes a lot of water around.His board actually makes a complaining growning noise as the forces and timing are in full swing.

Thanks for sticking up for Save Our Spit mate - no worries we can't let that happen was the reply before he lined up another wave.

The secret meeting (Surf Industry Briefing 22 Oct 2012) held by the council discussed things like no go zones when the cruise ships would come in. "It's ok though because it will be early in the morning when no one is around."

Aparently jaws dropped and corrections made by the attendees - for the record surfers get up at 3 am or before in the height of Summer to catch the dawny.

So imagine getting up early on a classic new swell with few onto it and finding the Seaway blocked to all traffic - including fishermen who often like the same days surfers do for calmer fishing conditions.Out of my jurisdiction fishing but I can only observe these guys love what they do and are very often up early in and around the Seaway or heading to outside ocean at their favourite longitude lattitude destination.

Anyway feel the rage - better now because we can do someting about it before this just gets out of hand.

You cannot block people from access to the Seaway without a massive lifestyle reduction. Now people who do not visit use or even like the Spit have no moral right to reduce others use of it.

On actually holding a secret meeting there are other obvious issues -:

What new info was actually obtained at this meeting and if none, what's the benefit?We are concerned that they are giving the Mayor a PR campaign to say 'we met with reps of the surfing community, we consulted... we listened .... and we are doing this anyway'Are they just using attendees name to legitimise their process?Many surfing reps were not included ý local boardriders, SOSA people etc. so if you are going to consult - consult not pick and choose in a standard divide and conquer and marginalise spin session.

In another GCB editorial this week there was mention of the GC Tourism head (Mr Winter) supporting the Cruise Terminal.Apparently funding for GC Tourism is partly from GCCC and partly from the State Government - now I am going to bet that Mr Winter given free speach could come up with some better alternatives to digging up our prime assets to please the pet projects of developers in the name of progress.In short Cruise Terminals built in a shallow estury are unsuitable, costly and actually counter to a more innovative approach that would emphasise our natural assets rather than degrade them for future tourism growth. It seems none of these projects are viable if not either publicly funded or public open space traded, or a casino whacked on.So here we are cap in hand to a foreign company giving away our lifestyle in the name of jobs - I am not buying it are you?

Are we also developing a culture of fear - "please keep me off the record I get council funding for x but I am totally opposed to it and keep up the good work".

At the Coolangatta meeting there was the similar feeling of disbelief, fear and outrage that we encounted during the Beattie Bligh campaign - but look at it this way.Imagine your job was to convice a bunch of locals who loved their beaches and natural environment that purely for the sake of short term constuction jobs they should risk what they appreciate most in thier part of the world.That is a much harder job than actually defending it - so its ours to lose - both North and South are united - we just don't want it!Pro terminal people you just have another group to deal with - and they are both talented and passionate!